Dominican and Haiti Updates

The Heart of GO Sports

Many people ask the question, how does sports ministry work?  And even after attempts to explain it well, the concept of using sports as a vehicle to present the Gospel can remain foreign to many.  Over the past two weeks, we have seen a clear picture of the impact sports ministry can have…when done with the most important ingredient, “but the greatest of these is LOVE”.  Here at GO Sports we have 11 coaches that have committed their lives to sports ministry.  Some decided to join the team because they were influenced by Jose Luis and Pedro, the two men that founded GO Baseball and GO Baloncesto.  Some are with us because they have a passion for their sport and they want to teach kids.  Some are coaches because they have recognized the need for mentors in the lives of the youth that surrounds them in their communities and beyond.  Others are here because they simply love Jesus and see the opportunity to share the Gospel with hundreds of kids on a daily basis.  Whatever the reason may be, however much knowledge of the game they have, one things is true, our coaches downright know how to love these kids that they work with.  In Matthew 9:35-38, Jesus speaks about how plentiful the harvest is, but what few workers are in the fields.  In this story, it says that that Jesus was walking through towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news, healing diseases and sicknesses.  While He was doing these things, he saw the crowds of people and had compassion on them, “because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.”  In a recent Bible study by one of our baseball coaches, he said, a good leader sees a need and responds with compassion and action.  This is what Jesus did, as He had compassion on the people, he said to his disciples, “the harvest is plentiful but the workers are few.  Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.”  In GO Sports, there are numerous kids that are like sheep without a shepherd and the Lord has sent our coaches into the field to love them and shepherd them. 

Donatello Rodriguez, a beloved kid from our GO Baseball Academy, tragically passed away on January 26^th.  Donatello came from a loving home, with two parents that adored him.  They came to his games, they walked him to school, they volunteered at his activities and they cleared their schedule to spend time with him.  Not only is this very rare in the Dominican Republic, but the whole world could learn from this kind of love.  As the entire GO Baseball Academy grieves this loss along with his family, school and community, God has revealed to me the heart of GO Sports and encouraged us to keep on going and growing.  We held a memorial service at the baseball field last Saturday and our hearts were overwhelmed as the great ingredient of love was evident in every word, tear, hug and expression.  Our coaches, one by one, stood up and told stories of their time with Donatello.  Their words communicated to the world that they are not just coaches, they truly are shepherds and they deeply love their sheep.

When our coaches finished, Donatello’s mom and dad stood up to share.  The words of a loving father have never been more powerful and affirming as he looked at our coaches and the kids in the baseball academy and expressed his overwhelming gratitude for their investment in his son’s life.  He repeated again and again, “Ustedes eran su vida” (you guys were his life).  He shared Donatello’s passion to always be at the field and in discipleship class with our coaches.  He couldn’t keep him away from the academy and he told me it was a privilege to share his son with men that love the Lord like our coaches do.  He said they taught him to love Jesus.  After he was finished and the service was over, he pulled me aside, grabbed me by the shoulders and said, “please don’t ever lose your focus.  These kids need what GO Sports is doing”.  There are sheep without a shepherd and the harvest is plentiful.    

During the celebration of Donatello’s life, there has been no mention of his talent on the field, how our coaches developed his skills or how many games he won.  There has only been story after story of the mutual transformation that took place between a little boy filled with the joy of

the Lord and 6 baseball coaches that desperately loved him enough to call him their son.  This is sports ministry….this is the heart of GO Sports and we will continue on so that more kids, more families, more coaches and more missionaries will experience love the way Jesus intended for us to.